The Shanghai Masters will see top seed Rafael Nadal facing off with the sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko for the final match. Feliciano Lopez was forced to retire in his match with Spain’s Nadal after an injury forced him to retire in the middle of the game.
Lopez was already behind 6-1, 3-0 when his right ankle got twisted. Earlier he had reported that the same foot suffered an infection but continued to play anyway. He has become ninth athlete to quit the games.
Russian Nikolay Davydenko beat out Novak Djokovic in the other semi-final. The second seeded Serbian won the first set before Nikolay got back and won last two sets and the match.
This will be Nadal’s first return to the finals after recovering from knee tendinitis. The injury had stopped him from playing in the Wimbledon to defend his title. Recently in the U.S. Open he had experienced muscle injuries in the stomach as well.
Nadal will be playing for his sixth title while Davydenko is looking to win in his fourth finals appearance for the year. Aside from being the top seed, Nadal will bring a 4-2 winning advantage over Davydenko in their prior encounters. The finals will be held on Sunday, October 18.